AIR FORCE ACADEMY — During his two seasons as Air Force’s football coach, Troy Calhoun has revealed visions of what he wants his football program to become.
He talks of having a team that will have the size, strength and speed to match the top programs in the Mountain West Conference. Calhoun has done well, finishing 9-4 in his first year.
But with freshmen Tim Jefferson at quarterback and Asher Clark, a converted quarterback, getting time at tailback, Calhoun may be getting a glimpse of the future sooner than he expected.
“Asher Clark has progressed to where he’s one of our top two tailbacks,” Calhoun said this week. “What I love about them the most (Clark and Jefferson) is they absolutely love football. They’re alert in practice, they work in the weight room and they are aware in the meetings. The leadership qualities they bring to this team are a good match with their abilities.”
Going into the season, Jefferson and Clark were working at quarterback behind senior Shea Smith. Now, Jefferson is Smith’s backup and Clark is at tailback, backing up sophomore Kyle Lumbkin.
“We have some young players who could become pretty good players in the next couple of years,” Calhoun said. “They have gotten to where they show some spark that gets you excited, but right now it’s a matter of consistency.”
While Jefferson’s emergence at quarterback has received most of the attention, the sophomore class is making a move. Lumbkin leads the team in rushing with 300 yards in five games. Receiver Kevin Fog-ler leads the team in catches with eight for 184 yards. Cornerback/receiver Reggie Rembert leads in all-purpose yards with 378, and linebacker Ken Lamendola leads in tackles with 50.While Smith has started all five games, Jefferson came on in the fourth quarter last week against Navy to lead the Falcons on an 84-yard scoring drive that cut Navy’s lead to six points.
“I bring something special to the table,” said the 6-foot, 200-pound Jefferson. “I’m a good counter for Shea. He has the better passing percentage, but I’m a better runner. When you can use both of those qualities, you can have a lethal attack.
“When you see how many freshmen and sophomores are getting reps in practice, I think Coach Calhoun is leading us in that direction.”
Clark fits in well at the tailback position. He scored his first collegiate touchdown against Navy.
“I’m basically trying to do whatever I can to get on the field as a freshman,” Clark said. “I usually don’t look too far ahead. I don’t think I’m the future yet, but we can be the future and become the young, fast team he (Calhoun) wants.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
